Monday, August 10, 2015

Curious Halloween

Hi everyone! A group of us are creating projects this month using the new idea-ology Halloween release. Four amazing projects have been posted so far and I'm hoping to add another good one to our growing list of Halloween inspiration!

Today I'm working with the back side of a Burlap Panel. It is the back so it doesn't look too great, but I promise it will get better!
NOTE: I did trim any burlap hanging over into the center.

What better way to transform something than paint!

I added a piece of paper from Regions Beyond paper stash to the center using Multi Medium. This year the holiday paper pad is 8 x 8" which I love because the paper is scaled down. Perfect for smaller projects.

I cut four 3/4" strips of paper from the same paper stash.

I stitched down one side of each using block thread and then inked each piece with gathered twigs and black soot and a blending tool.

I folded each strip along the stitching line and roughed up the edges, tearing and bending the paper.

Then added Glossy Accents to the back side of each strip...

The strips were added one by one to the frame of the burlap panel. The folded edge wraps right around the edge.

When I got to the corner, I just ripped the end of the strip (and inked it) to make it blend into the one on the bottom.

I dug through my Letterpress to spell CURIOUS. You can use any word but one that is 7-8 letters long is the perfect size to fit in the center. Rusty Hinge is the perfect color of Halloween orange!

Side Note: the word frightful is a great word for this project. It fits perfectly if you leave out the T (which in my excitement I did). Serious. I painted it. Waited for it to dry. Took pictures. Then I realized I spelled it wrong. #truestory

back to the task at hand...
If you have Letterpress, then you know that vowels are sometimes hard to come by. I needed an O and I didn't have one, so I used a sharp X-Acto knife to pop off the tail of the Q to make and O. This worked for me because in order to get a more cohesive look, I painted the "base block black" (say that three times). This made it virtually impossible to see where I removed the tail of the Q.
NOTE: Letterpress blocks are created using different colors of black and brown stain - in my case I ended up needing to only paint 3 blocks black (R, S, and Q) from varying shades of brown to match the other black blocks.

When you open the Regions Beyond paper stash you will find lots of great Halloween papers to work with, including this one that has a menagerie of small images. You can use the paper as is or cut the images apart (that's what I'm going to do).

This is a great time to pull out the Tonic shears to cut up the squares. Nice long blades to easily cut through the paper in one shot.

The reason for cutting the paper apart is that the images on this sheet are scaled to match up with the idea-ology Fragment pieces.

Since this is a Halloween piece, I'm going to add Mushroom Alcohol ink to the Fragment pieces. I dripped a bit onto the felt pad (you don't need a lot).

Hold the tool in one hand and the Fragment in the other to add the Alcohol ink to the flat edges. You almost push or "squeeze" the ink from the felt onto the Fragment.

You can finish by pouncing just a bit of more onto the face of the Fragment. Remember there is going to be printed paper underneath so you want to still see through the plastic. If you get too much Alcohol Ink on the face you can remove it with a q-tip and a bit of rubbing alcohol. The processes is very forgiving.

You need a small amount of Glossy Accents to glue the paper. I think the one mistake people make using Fragments is using too much Glossy Accents. If you put too much on the Fragment, it will squish out from under the paper, which can easily get on your fingertips and leave glue fingerprints on the face. You can avoid that mess by just using a small amount of GA (as shown).

Once you have your Fragments complete, you can go back and add Remnant Rubs using the Remnant Rub Tool. The new Curiosities Remnant Rubs are awesome. So many great images in a mix of black and white on each sheet! Love that.

Here you can see one of the white Remnant Rubs. The skull was big so I just cut it down the center and used it on the narrow Fragment piece.

I need a few more things before I put this together:

1. Wordband - for the top of the project. I used Picket Fence paint, Alcohol Ink in Mushroom and Lettuce to color the band. I also used black soot Distress Stain to color Linen Ribbon for the ends.

Wonder Tape helped me secure it to the frame.

2. Apothecary Bottles - The new amber bottles come with these darling labels. Just choose one!

3. Oddities Adornments - this is a great pack of trinkets with spiders (up next), a bat, skeleton, a darling pumpkin and 5 word tokens.

4. Oddities Adornments + Timepiece -Is this not a great spider? I painted the Timepiece and spider (with added chain) in Black Soot and let them dry.

I added the Letterpress to the bottom of the frame as well as some dyed cheesecloth (black soot + crushed olive Distress Spray Stain). I rubbed Multi Medium into the cheesecloth until it is malleable (it doesn't take much). Then it's easy to manipulate into place with the end of a skewer or tweezers.

Now it time to start adding the pieces. Apothecary Bottles first, then the Fragments, etc.
NOTE: I did use foam squares under the Timepiece and Vial Label.

I added a Screw Eye at the top to hang the spider on a chain.
NOTE: the frame is hard wood so you will need a pilot hole to get the Screw Eye started.

I also cut a few flowers using the Tiny Tattered Florals + Black Kraft Core cardstock. I think I may be addicted to making these flowers!

And one last step to add a bit of detail...I found this tiny strip of vintage book paper on my desk (I have no idea where it came from) so I inked it and stuck it in behind the cheesecloth. Love the challenge of using things I find on my desk!

Love the hanging spider!

Well I hope this gets you into just thinking about Halloween. The next couple months are pretty packed for me so I'm happy I could get this fun project done early!

If you missed any of the Halloween projects this past week there are links below to see what each of the designers created. If you are not a follower of these girls, be sure to sign up because there is more to come!

73 comments:

Are you kidding me?!?! What's *not* inspirational about this piece Paula?!?! This is fantastic! I love the paper strip edge covers (amazing!). And the mushroom alcohol ink on the fragments sends this piece over the vintage edge:) I seriously adore Tim's Halloween papers for this year. Wow! What a great backdrop for all the ghoulishly wonderful images on the fragments. And those new amber bottles are awesome. Ok -- confession time -- not a big fan of spiders. But that spider is truly perfect for this piece. Gives me shivers!! Great inspiration for the upcoming Halloween holiday. Thanks Paula! Mary Elizabeth

This is fabulous Paula! It looks like something you would find at an antiques market! I love love love the fragments and the hanging spider is awesome! I especially loved the dyed cheesecloth and the way you used the vintage paper scrap! Total eye candy. :)

This is AWESOME, so many great details Paula!!! I love the stitched paper strips on the edges of the frame! The fragments are spooky cool and very clever to turn the Q into an O! I love it ALL! Thanks for the wonderful Halloween inspiration!

So many super ideas here...and it's fun to hear the side stories of 'oops' moments - reminds us that we're all human and subject to such occasions. What I thought I saw initially I saw completely different after reading your blog. Thank you for sharing your time and talent with us!

Oh I make mistakes like that all the time - having to edit your own pictures gives me the opportunity to normally edit things out - it's like an electronic do-over. Sometimes I think, what was I doing? lol

Wow Paula, you have made it look like a really old find, I really love the stitching and thanks for the great tip with the glossy accents and the fragments, I need to learn to use less.... I did smile at your spelling... so glad the experts get it wrong occasionally - lol. Looking forward to the next few projects and so looking forward to getting the new Halloween goodies too. x

Fabulous Paula! Your fragments are over the top! Always find your instructions and photos easy to follow. Going to try a little less GA on my fragments. Thanks so much for keeping it real with your true story. Perhaps we will see something from Tim and Richele this week!

Hi Joy, I only use 90 grade cheesecloth. It has the tightest weave of all cheesecloth. I buy it locally from a mom and pop store we have but you can find it on Etsy https://www.etsy.com/listing/116260436/cheesecloth-by-the-yard-bty-90-weight

Fabulous creation! And not only do I learn a lot from your blog, I always get a chuckle reading it too. Glad you caught the misspelled word before affixing it to the frame. I spend so much time on my projects figuring out how to cover up the inevitable mistakes :)

Another amazing project Paula! I love the fragments, the cheesecloth and the stitched strips of paper. I made one of the matchbook halloween projects you made last year, and I am definitely going to need one of these this year for my house.

Great piece, super instructions! I think the best part about Tim's burlap panels is the hard back and I think your treatment of the edges is so inventive. I appreciate how you demonstrated distressing the fragments with alcohol ink--I've seen old vintage glass that looks exactly like that, your technique is so realistic. Adding multi medium to cheese cloth to make it malleable is brilliant. Now I know how to tame it!

Love your inverted burlap panel - so cool how you did the paper strips for the frame. And the fragments look amazing, especially with the Mushroom ink - can't wait to play with the Regions Beyond papers, they're fabulous. Hope you won't have a "frightful" time with the lettering next time!Alison x

Every part of this creation is fantastic. I love the colored cheesecloth! And those fragments make my heart sing!

I do have a question about the fragments: I have some that have a hole in the top ... maybe to make a jewelry piece??? ... how do you trim the paper around the curves of the top piece as well as any other curved part? Thanks!

Dodie, the Fragments with the hole at the top are the discontinued version (different sizes too) but could still be used for this project. Once the Glossy Accents is set, I just trim around the edges with scissors. And remaining bits could be sanded away with a small piece of fine grit sand paper.

This is wonderful! YOU HAD ME AT THE 'Q'!!! Love that you chopped it off...gotta do what you gotta do! LOVE the fragments and mushroom AI too! And I dyed cheesecloth today for classes, and love seeing yours here too. LOL!!! Gorgeous as always!!!

Paula, as a huge Halloween fan, your panel melted my ghoulish heart! I loved reading your post as well, and had a few really good chuckles! Wow! I thought I was the only one who made such mistakes, but great save on your part! The stitching on the papers is just a stroke of genius, as well as the cheesecloth--those are two things that I thought really made this piece so special to me. That and your book page find on your desk. That kind of thing happens to me all the time...I think I have a craft troll in my Closet! Magnificent updo of a burlap panel. I've been duly inspired!!!

Paula this is my 1st time I have been on your blog and came here after seeing this project on Tim's site. I love this project. Halloween is my favorite but your directions are INCREDIBLE! I am a grandmother and pretty new to crafting and I struggle lots of times because as a beginner projects can be hard to follow. When I saw your project I was intimidated but after going over the visual directions I am PSYCHED! Thank you so much for taking the time to show this project step by step so a beginner as well as an advanced crafter can do it! So many people expect everyone to understand but believe me I have a drawer full of 1/2 finished projects. I am now following you and am off to shop for the supplies I don't have for this project. THANK YOU!!!!!

Welcome to One Lucky Day Heather! This is pretty much how I do all my instructions so maybe you have found a home for crafting (and don't worry, we all have a drawer of 1/2 finished projects). You are not alone.

Lucky Day...it's when you get the first parking space at a busy store or when you find the thing that you have been looking for forever or it's finding a friend when you weren't even looking for one. What a LUCKY day.